"You're calling me a cheat," grumbled Jacques Kallis to umpire Sudhir Asnani in a rare moment of rage after his appeal for a run out at the non-striker's end was turned down by the third umpire, Simon Taufel, because of lack of evidence. The ball, according to the bowler, had flicked his boot on its way to the stumps and had caught the non-striker Aaron Finch backing up too far. Two balls later, Kallis hit Finch's offstump with a cutter and immediately turned back to give Asnani another long stare. He did talk to the umpire at the end of the over to clear the air.

A first for the bowler

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had picked up 235 wickets in all forms of cricket before this match, but his 236th was the first of its kind for him. Knight Riders' openers were cruising along, often charging out, which prompted Finch to ask the wicketkeeper to stand up to the bowler. Bhuvneshwar got one to swing back into Manvinder Bisla, it sneaked through the gap between bat and pad and Mahesh Rawat flicked the bails off as the batsman dragged the foot out, giving the bowler his first wicket through a stumping.

The slap

Ryan ten Doeschate played only three matches last season and it didn't look like this season was going to bring any more luck as the allrounder didn't find a place in the XI till today. With Knight Riders' campaign all but over, he finally did get a look in. When he arrived in the middle to bat, the team had squandered a frenetic start to get bogged down, but ten Doeschate provided the release with a ferocious slap shot off an Angelo Mathews delivery in the 17th over that went a long over midwicket and set the tone for the late acceleration.

The slap that didn't go too far

Parvez Rasool bowled an impressive spell in his debut IPL match but when the allrounder came in to bat, the match was all but over. In the last over bowled by L Balaji, he charged down the pitch, made some room and flat-batted a slower delivery back to the bowler, but Balaji, in his follow through, stuck his right hand out and grabbed the speeding ball out of thin air, leaving Rasool smiling at the absolute absurdity of that catch.

@David King..trusting players for catches and incidents like these is very dangerous as we have seen in the past. Its not just about integrity of some players vs others but also perception of players when catching low ones where they think the ball carried or when they think they didn't touch the boundary rope but infact they did. Its matter of a second and even with most honest players, it can get wrong. Technology might not be conclusive every time but its still better than completely relying on players and when technology proves them wrong, people will start calling them cheats when they actually didn't realise the catch was grounded or rope was touched. So I would favour umpires taking decision based on what they see on TV.Also,Kallis was completely wrong this time. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable from a player of such experience like him and should be penalised for highest degree dissent to umpire. Absolutely agree with comments from Viralrathod,abcdef_12345.

on May 10, 2013, 14:01 GMT

kallis should be fined , is he the first player whose appeal was turned down.
his behaviour is reprehensible and uncalled for.
umpire decision is final and that's that.
who does he think he is?

srikanths
on May 10, 2013, 11:42 GMT

who was the umpire , was it Asnani or Taufel. Kallis, usually a composed cricketer but one sees that IPL brings out the dormant aggression even in calm and composed players. We saw the hint of the same in Rahul Dravid when he brokered a peace between watson and Bisla but did so animatedly which is quite departure from his usual method.Kallis is as much a well behaved person as Dravid or a Tendulkar or a VVS or a Kumle , or a Viru or a Dhoni.

Just give him the benefit of the IPL laced aggression

Wick_key
on May 10, 2013, 10:15 GMT

Respect for rahul dravid and MSD keeps on increasing after watching such incidents. First gilli and then kallis. Two important flagbearers of the gentlemen's game losing their cool.

on May 10, 2013, 9:59 GMT

I couldn't believe that Kallis reactions of his disappointing and also after getting that wicket. Even though one of the most respected experience and talented best all rounder in all format, sad to see his behavior without understanding how difficult call made by Umpires.

on May 10, 2013, 9:42 GMT

This was always going to happen at some stage - there was an identical situation in SA domestic cricket earlier this year. Cricket has chosen the course of NOT trusting the players and rather relying on TV (a 2D medium notoriously poor for 3D decisions) to make calls such as these. You would never get TV cameras in a golf bunker judging whether a player had grounded his club illegally or not - the players are relied upon to call themselves. C'mon cricket - rely on the players for catches and situations like this.

on May 10, 2013, 9:36 GMT

As per the MCC rule, the on field umpire can ask the assistance of the 3rd umpire only if he confirmed that the ball is hit or disturb by the objective before hit the non strikers end, so now 3rd umpire's role is whether the batsman out of the crease while the bails off, so i think here both on field & 3rd umpires r wrong, nothing wrong with kallis and of course there is enough deviation at the ball after it hit the nails of the kallis's boot

on May 10, 2013, 9:31 GMT

Kallis over teacted. .Simon taufel was right in giving the benefit of doubt to the batsman. .KKR batsman against chennai got a clos decisiin in his favour did CSK skipper react the way kallis did??

British_North_America
on May 10, 2013, 9:16 GMT

shradhasaraogi No matter how great player Kallis is, Simon Taufel is also a great umpire.Third umpire will see evidence.He cannot give out or not out depending on who is appealing.Otherwise all appeals by Kallis need to be given out and all appeals by Bhatia need to be given not out.The incident happened in less than a half-second.How can Kallis be so sure about that? The fact is Kallis is not in great batting form but he is playing every matches because Gambhir backs him just like he backs Yousuf Pathan.So, he was under pressure.If he had normal mindset, he would not argue with an on field umpire for a third umpire's decision.

British_North_America
on May 10, 2013, 9:07 GMT

Does that mean if a bowler appeals for an LBW and umpire turns down the appeal, the umpires calls the bowler a cheat?

sarangsrk
on May 10, 2013, 19:29 GMT

@David King..trusting players for catches and incidents like these is very dangerous as we have seen in the past. Its not just about integrity of some players vs others but also perception of players when catching low ones where they think the ball carried or when they think they didn't touch the boundary rope but infact they did. Its matter of a second and even with most honest players, it can get wrong. Technology might not be conclusive every time but its still better than completely relying on players and when technology proves them wrong, people will start calling them cheats when they actually didn't realise the catch was grounded or rope was touched. So I would favour umpires taking decision based on what they see on TV.Also,Kallis was completely wrong this time. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable from a player of such experience like him and should be penalised for highest degree dissent to umpire. Absolutely agree with comments from Viralrathod,abcdef_12345.

on May 10, 2013, 14:01 GMT

kallis should be fined , is he the first player whose appeal was turned down.
his behaviour is reprehensible and uncalled for.
umpire decision is final and that's that.
who does he think he is?

srikanths
on May 10, 2013, 11:42 GMT

who was the umpire , was it Asnani or Taufel. Kallis, usually a composed cricketer but one sees that IPL brings out the dormant aggression even in calm and composed players. We saw the hint of the same in Rahul Dravid when he brokered a peace between watson and Bisla but did so animatedly which is quite departure from his usual method.Kallis is as much a well behaved person as Dravid or a Tendulkar or a VVS or a Kumle , or a Viru or a Dhoni.

Just give him the benefit of the IPL laced aggression

Wick_key
on May 10, 2013, 10:15 GMT

Respect for rahul dravid and MSD keeps on increasing after watching such incidents. First gilli and then kallis. Two important flagbearers of the gentlemen's game losing their cool.

on May 10, 2013, 9:59 GMT

I couldn't believe that Kallis reactions of his disappointing and also after getting that wicket. Even though one of the most respected experience and talented best all rounder in all format, sad to see his behavior without understanding how difficult call made by Umpires.

on May 10, 2013, 9:42 GMT

This was always going to happen at some stage - there was an identical situation in SA domestic cricket earlier this year. Cricket has chosen the course of NOT trusting the players and rather relying on TV (a 2D medium notoriously poor for 3D decisions) to make calls such as these. You would never get TV cameras in a golf bunker judging whether a player had grounded his club illegally or not - the players are relied upon to call themselves. C'mon cricket - rely on the players for catches and situations like this.

on May 10, 2013, 9:36 GMT

As per the MCC rule, the on field umpire can ask the assistance of the 3rd umpire only if he confirmed that the ball is hit or disturb by the objective before hit the non strikers end, so now 3rd umpire's role is whether the batsman out of the crease while the bails off, so i think here both on field & 3rd umpires r wrong, nothing wrong with kallis and of course there is enough deviation at the ball after it hit the nails of the kallis's boot

on May 10, 2013, 9:31 GMT

Kallis over teacted. .Simon taufel was right in giving the benefit of doubt to the batsman. .KKR batsman against chennai got a clos decisiin in his favour did CSK skipper react the way kallis did??

British_North_America
on May 10, 2013, 9:16 GMT

shradhasaraogi No matter how great player Kallis is, Simon Taufel is also a great umpire.Third umpire will see evidence.He cannot give out or not out depending on who is appealing.Otherwise all appeals by Kallis need to be given out and all appeals by Bhatia need to be given not out.The incident happened in less than a half-second.How can Kallis be so sure about that? The fact is Kallis is not in great batting form but he is playing every matches because Gambhir backs him just like he backs Yousuf Pathan.So, he was under pressure.If he had normal mindset, he would not argue with an on field umpire for a third umpire's decision.

British_North_America
on May 10, 2013, 9:07 GMT

Does that mean if a bowler appeals for an LBW and umpire turns down the appeal, the umpires calls the bowler a cheat?

viralrathod
on May 10, 2013, 8:17 GMT

Should not blame S.taufel for his decison. One of the greatest umpire in this planet. Lacks of technology doesn't mean to blame taufel. As per rules his decision was absolute. If kallis is the humble cricketer he should have accept it rather than arguing. How many time we have seen some greatest player not showing sportsmen ship when they got edge and not walking to dug house waiting for umpire to raise his finger. From my sense it was a difficult decision that goes to batsman as per cricket rules.

shradhasaraogi
on May 10, 2013, 8:15 GMT

It isn't about whether the replays were conclusive. The fact that Kallis appealed and his immediate reaction is proof enough that he touched the ball. You HAVE to respect his character, his position in the game. He wouldn't have appealed if he hadn't touched the ball. Simon Taufel's job was to see whether Finch made the ground, judging whether he touched the ball or not SHOULD have been the on-field umpires job. He should have communicated that to Taufel.
Sad to hurt the feelings of such a legend, had he been Indian he would have been equal to two Sachins.
My dad says Taufel will write this as the biggest mistake of his career in his auto-biography.

DINESHCC
on May 10, 2013, 8:05 GMT

OSCAR101 & FAN1969: It doesn't mean that if an experienced player or for that matter a player with integrity asks for run out, it should be given out. In fact still it is not clear whether he touched the ball or not? The on field umpire did not refer the matter to the Third Umpire immediately. He has taken time and because of Kallis excessive appeals, he referred the matter to the TV Umpire. Even the on field umpire was not sure about touching the ball. Had he touched the ball, even Finch would have walked as he is the captain of other team. The on field behaviour of Kallis is not good in taste. If at all he touched the ball, he should ask questions to the 3rd umpire and not to the on field umpire. Of course I am not questioning his honesty. But he is playing for KKR.

on May 10, 2013, 7:31 GMT

I can't blame third umpire for his decision. He did what he has to...benefit of doubt goes to batsman. Kallis may touch the ball or may be not...but, there is not much deviation after ball hitting his shoe. Unless fingers, If the ball hits a solid object like shoe there must be enough deviation.

on May 10, 2013, 7:25 GMT

Not conclusive ? it was conclusive that Kallis's boot had touched the ball.
If hot spot was there, it would have been perfectly clear. Dont understand why hot spot is not used the most expensive cricket tournment in the world.
How much doe this hot spot technology cost ? is anyone aware ?

Charlie101
on May 10, 2013, 7:23 GMT

@oscar101 I think you are a little naive regarding the culture and upbringing of present day cricketers . You may recall AB's catch at Headingley in the last Michael Vaughan series and of course the "unfortunate " leaking of the private KP text. The game is played to win by all teams and players and though it will never reach the depths of Premier League football it is a tough world and a win is a win.

Fan1969
on May 10, 2013, 7:07 GMT

In one breath people talk of Kallis being one of the greatest all rounders to have ever lived and a great sportsman and in the same breath some say he should not have reacted to the umpiring decision.

Kallis has played 162 TESTS vs. 93 for Sobers and has also played T20 and 321 ODIs. Still going strong. He has always been known to stand tall and been a true sportsman.

Any human being who is honest and has achieved so much expects a little bit of grace from umpires/authorities. Simon Taufel by following the rule book forgot the spirit of cricket being a gentleman's game. I was stunned as this was coming from Taufel.

Occasionally it will be nice to see umpires trust players especially the greatest ones. While I agree some mistakes are inevitable and decisions will go wrong even with DRS, occasional trust will ensure the spirit of the cricket being a gentleman's game will remain alive.

Hurting feelings of the greats like Kallis is definitely not a good outcome.

JohnnyRook
on May 10, 2013, 6:20 GMT

@oscar101. It really doesn't matter what his upbringing was. I am a big fan and personally hold him at higher padestal than Murali, Warne, Tendulkar or Ponting. However in this incident, he was clearly in the wrong and I completely agree with Muski. Rules gotta be same for everyone immaterial of man's past or perception. It is naive to expect player to be super honest in such a tough environment. Players lost the right of being asked whether they took a catch cleanly a long time back. How many active players do you really know who walk after nicking. And no, media and player won't destroy him if he does a wrong because they are biased too. For example, despite of his blatantly wrong behavior, you are still defending Kallis like he did a great thing while talking about integrity towards the game...

sanjaycrickfan
on May 10, 2013, 5:29 GMT

I dont understand why Kallis got so upset. When the decision was referred to the third umpire, he is supposed to give a decision based on the evidence available and the evidence is not conclusive that the ball hit Kallis boot on the way to the stumps. The question of Kallis' integrity doesnt arise here. You cant make decisions based on the individuals involved. By that logic, everyone else can claim they touched the ball in similar situations. How can you assume they have lesser integrity than some other players like Kallis or Dravid ?

oscar101
on May 10, 2013, 5:01 GMT

@Muski, you clearly have no idea regarding the upbringing and cricket culture Kallis has grown up in....one of the most honest and down to earth men, a real cricket man who plays the game fairly and with dignity. The fact of the matter is that the game has drifted away from the very principles it created over generations, in fact in this modern day game, why can an umpire not ask the bowler if he touched it? the same way fielders claim catches?if a player cheats and lies the media and public will destroy him....the integrity of the game has diminished. yes there is technology but then why do we have umpires? because in all honesty technology can do the job they doing, they don't make decisions nor do they need to...just have a man sit in a box, if you appeal he quickly looks over the decision and gives his verdict. If that was a state game Finch would've been given out and nobody would've questioned the decision. Just to prove a point the cricket gods ended Finch's innings

on May 10, 2013, 4:51 GMT

I think S.Taufel had reached his days. He should now retire. His decision againgst Kallis appeal was WRONG and he should be the one appologising to Kallis. Luckily the
next ball Kallis got Finch. Umpiring becoming a question these days. Why not go for thecnologiies at everything?

muski
on May 10, 2013, 4:16 GMT

If I were the Match refree, I would have banned Kallis for atleast 2 matches. He has no business to dictate to the umpire. Why should the umpire believe Kallis version of his foot having touched the ball when the replays did not suggest anything to that effect. Even the GOD of Indian Cricket r not so long ago nicked one and stood his ground until the 3rd umpire gave him out. Its thanks to the Gentleman Dravid that Gilly survived yesterday. Technically speaking he was out.

Romenevans
on May 10, 2013, 3:55 GMT

What would you expect when your captain is Gautam Gambhir. Hopeless to say the least.

truguynese
on May 10, 2013, 3:43 GMT

In the cricketing world today, there is a very very small percentage of guys who are very very trustworthy, three names come to mind without thinking, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Adam Gilchrist. If he said it touched his boot, it did. However, the umpire has the final say. The game must go on.

Kunal.Vohra
on May 10, 2013, 3:27 GMT

The Kallis incident was disgraceful! For all the experience he has, Kallis ought to have known that, when an on-field umpire doesn't have adequate evidence, he has to pass the authority to make the decision to the third umpire. And, to be fair to the third umpire in this instance, from what we saw, after numerous replays and even after zooming in as much was possible without distorting the visual, there was absolutely no evidence to suggest that the ball had scraped Kallis' shoe. Which is not to say that Kallis was lying. It may well have happened as he suggested. But, the more important point is that the third umpire did not have adequate proof to concur. I'm afraid Kallis just let his ego get in the way there. But, even more disgraceful was the reaction of Robin Jackman, an otherwise likable sort. For him to suggest that the third umpire should rule in Kallis's favour and, indeed, that he could tell the ball had brushed the underside of the shoe was terrible!

himanshu.team
on May 10, 2013, 3:07 GMT

KKR are doing their best to at least stay where they were last year in one department: FairPlay Award!!!

jmcilhinney
on May 10, 2013, 1:28 GMT

I'd say that Kallis is probably as trustworthy as any international cricketer but, if you're using technology, you have to go by what the technology shows and not just take the player's word. If the batsman chooses to do so and walks then that's his prerogative but the umpire can't choose which players to trust and which not.

on May 9, 2013, 23:53 GMT

Too much Riods will do that to you. Not surprising from another SA Athlete.

noplay
on May 9, 2013, 22:03 GMT

@kc69 Cricket is said to be a gentleman's game, but IPL is entertainment, so one can lip sync if one wishes. Since the general standard of conduct leaves a lot to be desired, fairplay turns out to be the least offensive rather than outstanding behaviour.

TheUltimateTruth
on May 9, 2013, 21:13 GMT

@kc69 -- "nobody" is an incorrect absolute. Some people do care about fair play. Both Kallis and GG are with KKR and the relative rankings of the two players on fair play matters is rather irrelevant.

kc69
on May 9, 2013, 18:53 GMT

KKR was last in Fairplay standings last year(even though it was champion and nobody cares about fair play).I still believe Kallis is a gentlemen compared to Gautam Gambhir.

No featured comments at the moment.

kc69
on May 9, 2013, 18:53 GMT

KKR was last in Fairplay standings last year(even though it was champion and nobody cares about fair play).I still believe Kallis is a gentlemen compared to Gautam Gambhir.

TheUltimateTruth
on May 9, 2013, 21:13 GMT

@kc69 -- "nobody" is an incorrect absolute. Some people do care about fair play. Both Kallis and GG are with KKR and the relative rankings of the two players on fair play matters is rather irrelevant.

noplay
on May 9, 2013, 22:03 GMT

@kc69 Cricket is said to be a gentleman's game, but IPL is entertainment, so one can lip sync if one wishes. Since the general standard of conduct leaves a lot to be desired, fairplay turns out to be the least offensive rather than outstanding behaviour.

on May 9, 2013, 23:53 GMT

Too much Riods will do that to you. Not surprising from another SA Athlete.

jmcilhinney
on May 10, 2013, 1:28 GMT

I'd say that Kallis is probably as trustworthy as any international cricketer but, if you're using technology, you have to go by what the technology shows and not just take the player's word. If the batsman chooses to do so and walks then that's his prerogative but the umpire can't choose which players to trust and which not.

himanshu.team
on May 10, 2013, 3:07 GMT

KKR are doing their best to at least stay where they were last year in one department: FairPlay Award!!!

Kunal.Vohra
on May 10, 2013, 3:27 GMT

The Kallis incident was disgraceful! For all the experience he has, Kallis ought to have known that, when an on-field umpire doesn't have adequate evidence, he has to pass the authority to make the decision to the third umpire. And, to be fair to the third umpire in this instance, from what we saw, after numerous replays and even after zooming in as much was possible without distorting the visual, there was absolutely no evidence to suggest that the ball had scraped Kallis' shoe. Which is not to say that Kallis was lying. It may well have happened as he suggested. But, the more important point is that the third umpire did not have adequate proof to concur. I'm afraid Kallis just let his ego get in the way there. But, even more disgraceful was the reaction of Robin Jackman, an otherwise likable sort. For him to suggest that the third umpire should rule in Kallis's favour and, indeed, that he could tell the ball had brushed the underside of the shoe was terrible!

truguynese
on May 10, 2013, 3:43 GMT

In the cricketing world today, there is a very very small percentage of guys who are very very trustworthy, three names come to mind without thinking, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Adam Gilchrist. If he said it touched his boot, it did. However, the umpire has the final say. The game must go on.

Romenevans
on May 10, 2013, 3:55 GMT

What would you expect when your captain is Gautam Gambhir. Hopeless to say the least.

muski
on May 10, 2013, 4:16 GMT

If I were the Match refree, I would have banned Kallis for atleast 2 matches. He has no business to dictate to the umpire. Why should the umpire believe Kallis version of his foot having touched the ball when the replays did not suggest anything to that effect. Even the GOD of Indian Cricket r not so long ago nicked one and stood his ground until the 3rd umpire gave him out. Its thanks to the Gentleman Dravid that Gilly survived yesterday. Technically speaking he was out.